Freestyle monitors?

[Candleonwater]

I'm just curious to know how other rinks handle checking skaters in and then the playing of tapes... is it done by parents, and if so, are they compensated for their time?

[blue111moon]

During club sessions, we have parents who volunteer to check skaters in and collect walk-on money. They are compensated with credit toward their ice bills. The tape deck sits rinkside and skaters line up their programs in a rotation and play them themselves or for each other.

[vesperholly]

All of our ice sessions have a monitor. For each 1 hr session that you monitor, $3 is deducted from your ice bill. Most parents don't monitor more than a few hours a week. Skaters aren't allowed to do it unless they are over 16, and they rarely do anyways.

The monitors sit in the hockey box in between the two penalty boxes, where they set up the boom box, a microphone, and play the music. Our sessions are organized ahead of time so that if you contracted for ice, all you have to do is show up for the right session and the monitor automatically checks you off (assuming they know who you are!).

If you haven't contracted for that session, you can use a "switch" - making-up a session you have missed for whatever reason. You have to check in and tell the monitor what day/time you are switching from, and they will make sure you have a switch to use and are able to skate. If you want to walk-on, you have to go to the monitor and pay them the fee, and they will let you on the ice. Many of our sessions are full, so you can't switch or walk-on to them.

Some monitors are more pro-active than others - ie, reprimanding skaters when they are goofing off and disrupting a session, playing the music properly, etc. Sometimes on really busy sessions with inexperienced skaters, the monitor has to call a general warning like "remember the person who is having their music played has the right of way".

Tapes are supposed to be played in this order:

1. Program A, first-request, in a lesson
2. Program B, first request, in a lesson
3. Program A, first-request, not in a lesson
4. Program B, first request, not in a lesson
5. In order of first request

Skaters in a lesson always get a priority - usually in the order requested. Skaters who have not had any programs played get priority over other skaters who have had any programs played. If Suzy had her long played, then requests her short, then Jane requests her short, Jane gets her short before Suzy. Whenever I monitored I tried to do what was fair - for Suzy to get two programs and Jane none doesn't seem fair to me, even though Suzy requested first. Monitors are also not allowed to restart tapes for choreography, though they can fast-forward or only play the first half.

Jocelyn

Edited to say that monitors, not the skaters, are responsible for playing programs, dances, and mix tapes when no programs are playing. This expedites the program playing and makes sure that everyone gets their program played in a fair manner.

[arena_gal]

We pay the person who plays music, it's $6 an hour. We didn't use to pay so much but for a while no one wanted to do it and we hired a student and had to pay minimum wage, and it's been like that ever since. Our arena is unheated and is the coldest place you could imagine, that's why we have a hard time getting someone to stand by the boards with the music system.

[Elsy2]

We have a checklist that is used to keep attendance for sessions...usually one of the coaches or skaters will take attendance. the checklists go to the office where they keep track of ice time.

We don't have anyone assigned to play music or monitor. The skaters line up their tapes and whoever is just getting off doing their program will start the next skater's tape. A coach may change the program order due to lessons in progress.

[kayskate]

Originally posted by vesperholly
All of our ice sessions have a monitor. For each 1 hr session that you monitor, $3 is deducted from your ice bill. Most parents don't monitor more than a few hours a week. Skaters aren't allowed to do it unless they are over 16,

This is very interesting. Why does the person have to be at least 16? I assume there are legal reasons. When I was a kid, one could not hold a job under the age of 16 w/o a work permit.

The reason I ask: there are a couple of kids (14 y.o.) at a rink where I skate who teach group classes. I saw one of them teaching alone, not assisting an adult pro. I wondered about the legality of this. Granted, I do not know all of the details, but I think giving a 14 yo that level of responsibility is ridiculous.

Kay

[dooobedooo]

In the UK, the coaches have control of the music. They take it in turns, either by asking each other to take next place in the queue, or if it is very busy, writing their name at the bottom of a list on a piece of paper for the purpose.

Generally speaking, in most training ice sessions, the music is always reserved for lessons, and is put on by the coaches themselves, in rotation. The etiquette is that they can only keep the music for one play of one free program or dance track. If nobody wants the music, it gets switched over to quiet background music.

Occasionally, if it is quiet, a skater can put on his/her program music, but has to ask the leading coach's permission, and if the coach is in a bad mood or has a headache, the answer may be "no"!!

It can occasionally get a bit rough if skaters collide or get in each others way, and tempers can get frayed. The priorities are the standard ones (in a lesson and with music, in a lesson and without music, not in a lesson but with music, not in a lesson and not with music). Of course, if you skate regularly with people, you get to know their programs and where they do their jumps, which makes things easier. The hardest thing is to go on a training session where you don't know the other skaters, or where there are a lot of lower level kids who have not built up their 3D skate-awareness!

Controlling access to the ice is done differently in different rinks: sometimes the coaches handle it and take payment; sometimes skaters have to sign a list; sometimes there is a manned reception desk.

Payment of coaches varies too: sometimes they pay a monthly "rink rental" fee but pupils pay in cash; and sometimes a rink commission is deducted from entry tickets and the coach is paid the balance.

[Mrs Redboots]

At my rink it is the same as at Doobedoo's, except that if it is quiet you can play your music without being in a lesson - it's courteous to ask first, though, but "Please may I use the music?" will almost always get a positive answer unless there's a queue.

Also, yesterday towards the end of the patch when it was very busy (I wished I'd thought and played my music at the start, when it was quiet!), the coaches kept getting into huge muddles as to whose turn it was for the music. I commented then that they'd better ask one of the mums to keep them straight.

I notice, too, that when it is busy we only get to do two patterns of whatever dance it is, not three! That's my coach being polite to those waiting....

For our Figure Club ice, one of the mothers plays the music in rotation - you give in your tape/CD and sign a list indicating that you want it played, and she calls out your name just before playing it. Dance club is social dancing, and at the moment we don't have an interval; when we did, you could sometimes play your own music then.

[tazsk8s]

Check-in is at the front desk. They have a printout of who is contracted for the session and they take the money from any walk-ons.

We used to have rink moms on the busier sessions who played tapes in exchange for discounted ice time for their kids. Ran into some problems with this for a couple of reasons, and I think it ultimately became a money issue and they discontinued this. Now it is basically on an honor system. The skater puts their tape in line and they get played in order. For the most part the kids are okay with not cutting in line, however you get the kid whose program ends and they put their tape right back in and they get played 2-3 times while others are still waiting for their first time through. There isn't anyone there to stop this. Coaches are allowed to bump to the front of a line for lessons. I have no problem with this in theory, but when 2 or 3 coaches in a row bump the same person's tape, it gets rather frustrating. That was one nice thing about the ice monitors. They would alternate pro requests with skater requests so everyone got theirs in.

[Candleonwater]

The reason I asked this question is that our rink doesn't compensate in any way. And to be honest, with the amount of abuse dished out, it just isn't worth it, however, somehow, I seem to get roped into playing the tapes. Usually I don't complain, because I know I am relatively fair, and efficient and the skaters need that.

Last week I ran into a situation where two girls brought over their music with 10-15 minutes left in the session (this is a rink FS) and I had their coach all over me because I didn't put them at the front of the line. Knowing they also do the following session, and coming in this far into a session (they had been on the ice the entire time practicing) they didn't get first priority. For that particular session, the kids who had a competition the following day were. I just looked at the coach and pointed out, if she didn't like the way I was doing it... and I left it at that.

We have all kinds of problems with the music on these sessions (the club sessions are SO much better run). Kids toss their tapes on the table (where many tapes are always left laying out) and consider that turned in... Also, there are many skaters who aren't ready to skate to their music until they've sufficiently warmed up (some as long as 1/2 way through the session) but they make sure their tape is at the front of the line...

Sorry about the long message, but this situation is really irritating me!

How would you all handle this?

[vesperholly]

Kay, I think it is simply a responsibility issue, not a legal one. Babysitters tend to be much younger and are paid in a similar fashion (under the table or reimbursement). Thinking back to our regular monitors, I don't think there have been any younger skaters for quite a while. I was probably the youngest. My friend and I both monitored when we were in high school, but it wasn't until after we were 16. However, I don't remember wanting to monitor at 15 and being turned down. I think it's basically a judgement call - some kids are responsible at 14, others are still irresponsible at 24.

My club actually used to have a "Junior Coach" program where the skaters taught learn to skate classes with no adult pros on Weds and Sat. You had to be at least 11, and usually if you were under 14 you were put with an older skater. I think they were town classes rather than club classes, but they were a lot of fun and I really miss it. For every day you did Junior Coaching, you could skate a patch session and a freestyle session before the classes for free. See how I date myself... :-) This program has been discontinued in favor of having our full-time pros teach classes.

Candleonwater, were these skaters in a lesson with their pro? If they were, you should have put their tape on immediately. If they were not in a lesson, they simply get "put in line". I'm surprised they were insistent on that session if they were also skating the next one too. I have had situations where I was competing in a few days, and a skater who had already had her tape played was ahead of me. I asked the monitor if since I hadn't had my program played already and she had, if I could go ahead of her since I was competing, and I got to.

Jocelyn

[blue111moon]

We don't have problems often at my rink, except with a certain pro who insists on playing her student's tape over and over as many times during a session as she can get it, claiming it's a choreography lesson (hint: get a portable and carry it!).

But one summer session I skated on had a box next to the system with numbered slots. The first four slots were reserved for people having lessons. The remainder went in order. Once you had your program played once, if you wanted it again, it went to the back of the line, lesson or not. Everyone elses' moved up a number. If your turn came and you delcined because you weren't ready or warmed up enough, it went to the back of the line. A laminated copy of the rules was taped to the top of the system. Anyone who violated the rules lost their program privileges for the next week. It was an honor system, but since everyone knew the rules, skaters policed themselves.

The only problem I ran into with the system was the coach who planted himself in front of the system so that you had to interrupt his lesson to say "Excuse me, but it's my turn to play my program." Then he'd move two inches aside long enough for you to put in the tape and turn it on. Then he'd shift back. He intimidated a lot of the kids so that they went without playing their music when he was there. Plus he controlled the volume so if he wanted to make sure his student heard him talking he'd reach over and turn the sound down to a whisper, shout his instruction then turn it back up, maybe, if he felt like it. If not you had to get someone else to turn it back up, continue without hearing your music, or stop your program and go turn it up yourself, which defeated the purpose of a complete run-through. Very annoying man.

[Candleonwater]

Jocelyn, to the best of my knowledge, neither of the skaters were in a lesson. Another coach recently informed us that NO coach has the RIGHT to bump - even in a lesson. I guess since all our pros carry portables, it's not a big deal for them to necessarily hear it over the loud speaker each time. Actually, now that I think of it, I've seen more skaters turn down their turn because they were in a lesson.

Unfortunately, at our rink, it's not a good thing to allow the skaters to police themselves. We have quite a few Mixed sessions, and the older/more advanced skaters think nothing of bumping the younger/lower level skaters to the end, or taking the tape out of line entirely! These sessions combine FS 3-5/no test skaters with Junior/Senior level skaters.

I really appreciate all your comments on this situation. I guess I'm still waiting for an apology/thank you from this coach, although I won't be holding my breath!

[wa_skater]

At my rink, the skater or the skater's parent pays the skating club or the rink (depending on the session time that the skater is using) by check or cash and they buy a block of sessions. Of course you can pay for 1 session at a time, but that is incredibly inconvenient and more expensive.

You can buy a block of 7 sessions or a block of 15 sessions. Then the skater can use their sessions any time they want until they run out and need to pay again. All the skater does is sign in at a book in the lobby and the front office will mark that toward the number of sessions they have already paid for.

Skaters and coaches control their own music and take turns playing different tapes. Everyone works together on this and I've never seen a conflict.

~Anna

[icesk8er31]

Ok, I am terribly jealous of you guys who have orderly freestyle sessions. First of all, we have to puchase stickers for ice time. Before you step on the ice, you are supposed to put a sticker on a sheet by the main door. However, the rink's regular staff is assigned to check, which they don't, so we have a whole host of skaters who don't pay for ice time unless they get caught. I've even heard kids tell their parents that they don't have to put stickers down for sessions.

As for tapes, we have the following system - none. Coaches can pull music that is just playing for fun, but other than that, you put on whatever. Kids sometimes play their programs 6 or 8 times during a 45 minute session. No one enforces any kind of right of way (meaning you can get cut off repeatedly even during a lesson or during a program) and one coach even teaches hockey on our FS ice.

Anyway, just thought I'd vent out my jealousy. Glad to hear it works better for other folks.